Furry Friends Fur-Ever Tail: Cookie and the Wilkins

“We adopted Cookie (formally Xena) last January,” explains Peggy. “Recently retired and downsized to a condo, getting another dog seemed problematic. My husband had never lived with a cat, but once I convinced him that a cat would be quieter, cheaper, and less work than a dog, he was on board.

“At first, Cookie bonded only with me. Just like a dog, she would follow me from room to room all day. My husband, who tends to be noisy, actually scared her, so we ’retrained’ him to be quieter!

“I bought her an assortment of cat toys which she initially ignored, playing instead with an elastic ponytail band she found on the floor. Basically, Cookie’s now the one who chooses the toy, the game and the amount of time she wants to play.

“She sleeps on the bottom corner of our bed, stays quiet all night, and waits until one of us stirs in the morning to start mewing and cuddling. Can’t ask for a better cat than that.

Available Cats

Furry Friends is a nonprofit cat adoption organization. Its mission is to help homeless, relinquished and abused cats by providing spaying and neutering, medical care, and foster shelter for as long as it takes to find their forever home.